Grasshoppers Were Harmed

We woke up to the sound of gentle rain hitting the roof of our AirBnB.  We drank coffee and did our Wordles, Quordles and Duotrigordles.  This a beautiful home, just steps from Monterey Bay.  When we saw the sun was shining through our windows we put our raincoats on and headed out to Lovers Point.    

I was pushing Gayle in her wheelchair and we got about 20 feet before we were both soaking wet.  We turned right around and headed back to the safety of our home.  We decided to use this time to run errands instead.  We gassed up the car.  I got cash out from the ATM and we stocked up on water, bananas and other necessities. 

By then the sunshine had returned and the sky did not look remotely threatening.  We went to Lovers Point.

It was glorious and we soaked up the joy of being alive.

Then we went back to our AirBnB and had soup I had made and brought, along with some of Brett's bread.  Our plan today is to do the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach and end with an early dinner in Carmel.

We took every opportunity along the drive to turnout for another incredible vista.  At our first stop we changed into our flip flops and walked down to the beach.  We watched the sandpipers forage for food and run from the waves.

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day.

Pebble Beach is where the elite go to play golf right next to the ocean.

Not being golfers we soaked in the ocean beauty and the abundance of animal life.  Gayle made friends with a squirrel.

We watched the hummingbirds get their fill of the Pride of Madeira flowers.

The pelicans and cormorants kept their distance.

The harbor seals were taking their afternoon naps.  

We ended our 17 Mile Drive at the Lone Cypress tree, hoping that the atmospheric river that is on its way our way tomorrow will spare this tree.

Gayle had read that the Carmel Mission is the prettiest of the Carmel Missions.  It closes at 3:45 p.m. so we hustled over there to take a quick tour.

The place was not crowded and we got to experience the sanctuary without others there.

The woman who sold us tickets said that we would need to hurry because we wouldn't want to miss the museum.  We learned that Father Junipero Serra died at the Carmel Mission and was buried there.  He is a controversial figure.  He founded 9 of 21 of the California Missions.  Because he is known as a colonizer who enslaved the native people in the missions, many of his statues have been taken down in California.  The Carmel Mission does not speak of his problematic history.  He is their saint.

We drove into downtown Carmel to poke around in some shops.  It is such a delightful little town with little walkways to hidden courtyards.

We wore out quickly and stopped in the Carmel Bakery to revive ourselves with some warm drinks.  We did a little more shopping before heading to Cultura Comida y Bebida, where we had a reservation for dinner.  It is a Mexican restaurant in the Oaxacan style.  You can do a Mezcal tasting.  We opted not do that but we did order the fried grasshoppers.....the tasting plate of fried grasshoppers, not the full order.

Our waiter suggested that we also get chips and guacamole and then top it with a grasshopper.  It wasn't horrible but I only needed a couple grasshoppers to feel like I had gotten the full experience.

We shared calabacitas (grilled zucchini with a cauliflower puree) and the chicken enchiladas.  Our dinner was absolutely delicious.  Our waiter brought us samples of their Mexican hot chocolate to top off our meal.  If I wasn't already stuffed I would have ordered a cup.  Everything was amazing.

The restaurant is decorated with art.  There were cool pots all around the restaurant.  I asked if they were for sale, by any chance.  I have a thing for pots of heads in which I can plant something that looks like hair or a brain.  I bought this pot and they packaged it up with our leftovers.

We drove home and watched Survivor on Gayle's iPad.